By CHEN HUIFEN

SINGAPORE has far fewer dentists per head of population than many developed countries, but that's no reason for any dental business here to be complacent, says Wilson Goh, founder of dental practice Team GPA.

In an interview with BT, he acknowledged that dentists here seem to have it good - one dentist per 3,000-odd residents, versus one dentist per 2,000 in the US.

'But let's not forget that the US is insurance-based, whereas Singapore is fee for service,' said Dr Goh, who is managing director of GPA Holdings, the parent company of the practice.

'While the market size is such, if you look at the demand size, it's much smaller here than the population statistics tell us.

'If you have private insurance, what do you do? You use it. If you have to pay for service, that discretionary one dollar, what do you use it for? Maybe your next holiday, and not dentistry.'

It is this ethos - that patients have a right to choose - that underscored the development of Team GPA. Consisting of 14 dentists spread across three outlets, the practice originated in 1995 as a one-man show in a 80 sq ft store room in Balmoral Plaza.

For a few years, Dr Goh was comfortable, seeing some 20 patients a day. But he soon realised he was neglecting patients with dental emergencies - cases arising from sudden pain or from social events that require last-minute cleaning or stain removing.

So around 2000, he set out to recruit new dentists and adopted technologies that could help him deliver patient care more efficiently, accurately and with better clinical outcomes. By 2002, a second clinic was opened at United Square. And the following year, Team GPA established a headquarters clinic at Parkview Square.

New clinics opening

Two new satellite clinics are set to open - in Holland Village and River Valley - by June. They will add 2,600 sq ft of practice space to the 6,700 sq ft that Team GPA now has.

Notwithstanding challenging economic conditions, Team GPA posted turnover of $7 million last year - a big jump from $1.6 million in 2003. And for the first three months of this year, turnover was up 10-15 per cent year-on-year.

Despite this rapid expansion, Dr Goh is realistic about competition. He constantly reminds his team that patients belong to no one.

'Patients can see me today and go to practice B tomorrow. It's their free choice,' he said.

'Patients can get as many opinions as they like and decide on many factors - be it cost, the quality of product, or what has been given to them - and they make their choice.'

Recognising that reality, Team GPA sought to create an operational structure, supported by 40 non-dentist staff, that gives patients more reason to choose the practice.

Dentists are usually allocated no more than four appointments a day, so they have more time to attend to each patient, and in turn, more time to plan for each procedure.

The practice prides itself in not letting patients wait more than 15 minutes. And if the dentist they are booked for is held up, the patient is referred to another dentist within the group.

The model caters to people who value their time. Dr Goh noted that while 'die-hards' may choose to wait for their preferred doctor, whose appointment book could be full for several weeks, 'more and more people are saying, 'Look, I really have a party tonight. I need to see any doctor'.'

'This is what GPA stands for,' he said. 'How about Dr C? He'll do the same cleaning. He'll use the same equipment. And he'll capture it on the intra-oral camera and be checked by his colleague for peer review.'

For the structure to work, there needs to be a common understanding at Team GPA that dentists cannot hoard any patient or say 'this is my patient'.

Team GPA's structure is matched by a drive to stay at the forefront of dental technology. It was the first in the Asia-Pacific to adopt Biolase technology, which uses laser to reduce the extent of surgery required for some procedures.

More recently, it became a pioneer acquirer of a system that can replace conventional impression moulds with digital 3D imaging models. This means that turnover time for patients is much shorter. For example, patients no longer have to wait for weeks. until their mouth impressions are ready, to continue with say, a crown installation.

So although dentists at Team GPA see fewer patients a day, they can do much more at a time for each of them. For patients, that means cutting down on the procedure time and visits.

Maximising patient's time

'We know now in this society, work becomes so important that when you try to take leave, your leave form is scrutinised,' said Dr Goh.

'But if a patient comes and has taken half a day's leave, the question we ask ourselves is, if there are problems, what can we do in half a day for the patient? If I have two hours, I can do a lot of things. If I work as a team, I can do a lot. I want to maximise the patient's time; they have taken half a day's leave to see a dentist.'

Going by the growth in turnover, the model seems to be making business sense. The speedy turnaround time is also attractive to medical travellers, who account for about half of Team GPA's business.

For instance, a business traveller who wants to place 10 crowns or veneers can have the procedure done in one to two days, while conventional methods could take about two weeks.

It may seem like a bed of roses, but Dr Goh said his model has attracted plenty of flak. He is challenged by peers each time the practice acquires new technology.

He has also failed in an attempt to expand to Shanghai - the venture was foiled by restricted access to foreign equipment and medications.

Still, he has not given up hope of expanding the practice overseas and keeps an eye on developments in China. However, the market must be ready to the extent that the clinical quality available in Singapore can be duplicated there.

As for the teamwork structure and expansion plans in Singapore, Dr Goh admits that some of his ideals are work in progress.

'If we don't aim for utopia, we'll always fall into becoming mediocre,' he said.

This article was first published in The Business Times .